Tehran, Iran / March 19, 2026
:: Iran's women's soccer team attends a welcoming ceremony in Tehran after returning home from Australia
“Perhaps they were told that if they wanted to leave (Iran), they wouldn't be able to come back – but because they couldn’t leave their families behind and for other reasons, they decided to return and serve here in their own country.”
:: Safety concerns arose after several players failed to sing the national anthem at a Women’s Asian Cup match
Crowds cheering and waving Iranian flags gathered in Valiasr Square to welcome the team members, who returned to Iran through the Bazargan border crossing with Turkey on Wednesday (March 18). They completed a fraught return journey from Australia after five members withdrew asylum claims they had lodged there.
Australia had granted humanitarian visas to six players ​and one support staff member after ​they sought asylum, saying they feared possible persecution if ⁠they returned to Iran.
Concerns over their safety surfaced when several players failed to sing the national anthem at a women's Asian Cup match earlier this month after the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran. Iranian state television had labelled them "wartime traitors."
The team's Asian Cup campaign began just as the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament more than a week ago.
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